Overland The Third. ARB WJ inside!

[Comanche Scott]

Just sold the twin WJ to yours. Same color even.
A couple of things to watch for:

*Window regulator failure. If you hear a "pop" when raising or lowering a window, release the switch immediately. There is a guy who sells aluminum cable blocks (the piece of the regulator that fails), for about 1/2 the cost of the replacement regulator. If the switch is released as soon as the pop is heard, the cables won't get kinked. I ended up doing all 4 windows. Two that broke, and the other two that were about to break. Pretty easy job (took about 1/2 hour per door).

*If the heater fan stops working, there is a module that has been upgraded by Jeep. It requires a new harness. The good part is, the update OEM harness (from Jeep), and the cost of the updated module (from Rock Auto), is less than the cost of the replacement original style module. So it's worth the upgrade.

This has been my favorite vehicle of all time, and it was a sad day when it left. Hope you have as much fun with yours!

 

[PatriotUSMC]

Very nice! Love my '02 Overland!

 

[Morticon]

Loved your other Builds. Looking forward tot his one!

 

[Lecoq]

Nice WJ. I love my ZJ for the same reasons you got your WJ. Your 4Runner was nicely setup to be daily-able but also capable offroad so this WJ should be great. What exactly does the Overland edition come with besides a sweet badge? Haha


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It comes standard with the 4.7HO engine, factory skids plates and rock sliders along with QuadraDrive.

Great Choice on the Overland. I have always thought that the WJ is a great platform for expedition wheeling, although I might just be a little biased I also went with OME HD springs all around and will soon be adding Bilstein 5100s to replace my Skyjunkers. I think that it is the perfect suspension setup for a DD that also sees some offroad. Nice color to btw. What are your plans for it?

Thank you. Plans are pretty similar to what the 4Runner had plus a bit more.

Nice dub. I recently put an OME HD lift with Bilsteins on my '02 Overland, love the ride. Now i just need to get a set of summer tires for her.

Thanks, I've been lucky and scored a set of JK Rubicon take offs for the summer.

The first time I took my current jeep offroad I hit the rear over hang behind the rear wheel and bent it up and bent the rocker panel. We got out of the jeep and my 18 year old said, "Well, now it looks like YOUR jeep" All part of the game.

Good luck with this build. Great start.

John

Thank you. Can't wait to get going more on it.

Just sold the twin WJ to yours. Same color even.
A couple of things to watch for:

*Window regulator failure. If you hear a "pop" when raising or lowering a window, release the switch immediately. There is a guy who sells aluminum cable blocks (the piece of the regulator that fails), for about 1/2 the cost of the replacement regulator. If the switch is released as soon as the pop is heard, the cables won't get kinked. I ended up doing all 4 windows. Two that broke, and the other two that were about to break. Pretty easy job (took about 1/2 hour per door).

*If the heater fan stops working, there is a module that has been upgraded by Jeep. It requires a new harness. The good part is, the update OEM harness (from Jeep), and the cost of the updated module (from Rock Auto), is less than the cost of the replacement original style module. So it's worth the upgrade.

This has been my favorite vehicle of all time, and it was a sad day when it left. Hope you have as much fun with yours!

Awesome, Thank you for the pointers. So far no issues with the regulators. I'm still doing as much preventative maintenance as I can at this point.

Very nice! Love my '02 Overland!

They're great! As long as you maintain them

Loved your other Builds. Looking forward tot his one!

Than you , I have the feeling this build will be much slower paced.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Slow and steady is the smart money

Your timing is excellent. More and more really good mainstream products are coming out for the WJ. I've noticed over the past couple of years, it's gone from almost non-existent to fairly OK for aftermarket.

CLS Offroad has some good stuff at reasonable prices http://csloffroad.com/WJBumpers.aspx.
And Quadratec is listing some nice roof racks.

Now that Bushwacker has the "Cutout flares", it's easier to mount a larger tire, without jacking up to the moon.
There is still a lot of old out of date info on the net, and that seems to get repeated still. So it really pays to do more updated research as you start picking your stuff.

Every time I walk out to the driveway I kick myself for selling it. The Quadra-drive is amazing. Power is really great, and the ride is awesome for a solid axle vehicle. All the stuff that could be customized through the EVIC, and all the gadgets that just worked right... Yeah, it's a pretty awesome ride. :drool:

 

[Lecoq]

Thanks for the link. The front bumper is something that I haven't made up my mind on yet. I've had a great experience with ARB on my 4Runner and I love the ease of availability. If I had it my way I'd get an LSR Incline bumper but unfortunately they don't make it anymore.

I'm also looking at building or buying a front axle. The clutch pack in the front LSD is worn out and there is no replacement options that are cost efficient. I'm debating installing a front ARB locker, putting adjustable upper ball joints (my camber is off by-2 degrees) and getting new bearings. Or maybe just upgrading to another axle like a JK D44 or similar. I'm not looking to spend $4k on a front axle since I don't plan on running tires bigger than 33's.

 

[Comanche Scott]

If I remember correctly, there is a kit that can be used to drop a JK Dana 44 into the WJ. Might be worth looking into. Plenty strong enough for 33"s. Used market seems pretty good on those. Just have to be very picky when you look at them. I've seen some guys trying to sell bent axles as "never off road"...
I was considering a HP Dana 44 with manual hubs and an Auburn Ected. Unlock the hubs for dry roads to improve economy/durability and handling, have the clutches for snow and ice, and the locker when needed.
I figured up the costs to build this for the WJ (using a housing I picked up for $100) at just under $3K. Chromo axles, replacement driveshaft and all. The housings are still out there, so it maybe something to consider.

Yeah, front bumper is tough. One thing to consider is that all of the guys that do serious off road in their WJs, seem to have crushed the lower radiator support tube. So it may be worthwhile to at least protect that before you go off road.

My buddy and I both wanted winches, but that extends the bumper way out. I saw some guys that where cutting the front cross member and stuffing the winch behind the stock bumper cover. So I ordered up plans for a nice looking bumper w/o winch (http://www.flatland4x4.com/), and we had two sets of steel cut out out by a friend. The idea is that during the bumper build, we would modify the build to include the winch tucked up tight. Being so close to the Sierra Nevada's, approach and departure angles are pretty critical.
BTW: CLS sells a lot more for the WJ than just bumpers. There is a link on the left side for all their WJ stuff. I haven't bought from them, so I don't know their service or reputation.

Well I'm definitely looking forward to following your build. I'm still kicking myself in the rear for selling it.
There is a guy on here (theksmith) who has a very nicely built WJ. Super nice guy that seems really helpful. If you haven't looked at his build, it would be worth the while.

 

[Lecoq]

What housing are you talking about? The HP44? If so, where would you get brackets and spring buckets? Thank you

 

[Comanche Scott]

I picked up a HP Dana 44 housing from a mid '70s F150 for a different build (4 link w/coil overs). All the tabs buckets, etc are available from places like Ruff-Stuff (http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/).

 

[Lecoq]

Not a big update, but I ditched the weak battery in favor of a REALLY nice Odyssey Extreme.

 

[mortonm]

Had just been thinking that I hadn't seen an update on the 4runner I awhile, guess is know why

Good luck with the new jeep!

 

[Lecoq]

Thanks! Hoping to keep this one for a while. Shopping front and rear bumpers right now. I've also been researching axle options quite a bit. I keep telling myself I won't go over 33 inch tires but everytime I see TheKsmith's WJ I try to justify 35" in my head lol. Probably not a great idea for a daily driver.

 

[stioc]

Ah so here you are! Nice truck. I've always liked the Grand Cherokees especially the WJs and even considered them but ended up finding the Pathy first and from what I recall the size of the two and even the inside space was more or less the same.

I've also seen TheKsmith's WJ in several trip reports. It's nicely done but I personally think 33s and 2-3" lift is all one truly needs for just about any overlanding need. Heck even 32" tires on a shorter wheel base truck like the Pathy has been more than enough to tackle everything I've personally thrown at it.

 

[Lecoq]

I'm running the true 32" right now and I'm really happy with it. Looks proportional and drives great with tons of power. Having said that, I wouldn't mind 33" on some nice AEV or Hutchinson wheels...:elkgrin:

While I'm at it I'll add these items to the list:

Front bumper (ARB or Custom)
Rear bumper with spare carrier (Protofab or Hanson)
Built front axle with ARB locker
Safari Snorkel
More lights

That's the plan for this year if all goes well. Subject to change without notice lol.

 

[Lecoq]

Another update. Dropped this off to the bodyshop to get painted today.




Now doing research on the rear bumper situation. Protofab is at least 2 months away if not 3. Got my local store looking into the Hanson rear bumper. Also meeting with a local fab shop at some point to look at custom options.

Stay tuned.